The present invention relates to a cage for the rolling elements of antifriction bearings, and particularly to the formation and assembly of the elements of the cage.
A cage for a bearing may include closed pockets for the rolling elements and lateral slots in the lateral side edges of the pockets to increase the circumferential elasticity of the cage. Such a cage is known from Federal Republic of Germany Utility Model No. 18 06 341. However, it has the disadvantage that such a cage could be used only for low speeds of revolution, because at high speeds of revolution, irregularities in the travel of the balls take place in the circumferential direction. This leads to the cage being acted on in tension. Particularly when there is a narrow slot between the outer and inner rings of the bearing, the cage may act as a strip brake or, in case of guidance of the rolling bodies, may brake the rolling bodies. This frequently leads to the tearing of the cage strip or to increases in the bearing friction, which can lead to hot running of the bearing.
Federal Republic of Germany AS No. 12 34 455 discloses an attempt to solve this problem by dividing the cage into a plurality of segments. However, this has the disadvantage that there is increased noise in operation due to the segments striking against each other. Furthermore, the ends of the segments are subject to wear.